Top burner grate



March 24, 1953 w. E. WILLIAMS TOP BURNER GRATE Filed Nov. 10, 1948 BY Lada l5 Patented Mar. 24, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Willis ErWilliams, Shelbyville, Ind., assignor to Chambers Corporation, a corporation of In- I diana Ame-mason Niovember 1o, 1194s;serialnoisae'za Thisinvention relates ing' stoves, and particularly to means for automatically leveling tthe grate by the weight of a cooking vessel, to support the cooking vessel on a horizontal plane when it is placed onthe grate;

Top burner grates as heretofore constructed have been rigid, so that if a grate or cooking vessel becomes warped, or if the cooking stove is not precisely level, cooking vessels do not have a horizontal surface 'to rest upon. The tilting'of the cooking vessel may be sumcient to cause the vessel to slide ofi from the grate with, perhaps, spilling of the contents. 'It is contemplated, in accordance with this invention, to construct a top burner grate for cooking stoves embodying a plurality of grate fingers that will automatically be raised or lowered by the weight of a cooking vessel, with or without its contents, so as to level the vessel in all directions when it is on the grate. The present application is drawn to species of the broad invention disclosed and claimed in my co-pending application Serial No. 59,371, filed concurrently herewith. v I r In accordancewith the disclosure of the present invention, the top grate burner includes an annular supporting ring, a plurality of individual grate fingers mounted on the supporting ring, each of said fingers having a projection depending below said supporting ring, a floating rin which is welded or otherwise joined to the projections depending from each grate finger, and a plurality of individual springs secured to the annular supporting ring and to the floating ring. The springs exert force against the floating ring to level all of the grate fingers, when a cooking vessel i placed on thegrat'e, In practice, the strength or resiliencyof these springs is chosen to accommodate them, to the usual run of cooking vessels used on a cookin range. Although the grate is designed primarily for gas ranges, itwill be obvious that the advantages inherent in its structure may also be utilized in any typeof cooking stove provided with top burners. Thestructure by which these advantages'ar'e attained will be described in thefollowing specification, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which: Figure l is a top elevation of a top burner grate embodying the invention, showing the individual springs in'dotted lines; H i Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view, taken along the line22 of Fig. 1; y Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of one of the individual springs; 1

6 Claims. (01. 126414) to a top burner for cook- Fig. 4 is a fragmentary cross sectional view showing a modified form of spring securedbetween the annular supporting ring andth e floatingring; and

Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the modified embodiment of the individual spring shown in Fig. 4-

In the drawings, the reference numeral '2 indicatesthe top of a cooking stove having an opening 3 positioned over a gas burner or similar heating unit. An annular supporting ring 4 is positioned in opening 3 with its outer ed eresting on top 2, as indicated at 5. A nnular supporting ring 4 preferablyhas a web 6 depending from its inner circumferential edge. Web 6 may be integralwith ring 4, or it maybe rigidly secured thereto, as by welding. j H

A plurality of apertures I extend through ring 4. Apertures 1 are spaced circumferentially around ring 4 to coincide with the number of grate fingers 8 to be provided on the grate. Apertures 1 are preferably non-circular so that grate fingers 8 will be held in proper alignment by the interengagement with each aperture 1 of a projection 9 which depend from the underside of each grate finger. Apertures I areillustrated as being of substantially rectangular area, but any non-circular shape will prevent the grate fingers from rotating in the apertures.

. Projections 9 are usually, integral with grate fingers 8, but they may be formed separately and secured to the grate fingers by welding or in any other suitable manner. The projections are of a size and shape to fit snugly in apertures! with just enough clearance topermit themntomove vertically freely in the apertures. The length of projections 9 is great enough to allow eachgrate finger 8 to move vertically in either an upward or downward direction. so that all the grate fingers can be adjusted vertically by the weight of a cooking vessel, with or without its contents, until they lie in thesame horizontal plane. This feature of the structure herein described is essential to the present invention and is of paramount importance Whenever the grate or any grate finger becomes warped, or whenever the cooking stove becomes tilted for any reason. v v H The'means enabling any grate finger 8 tob moved automatically in a vertical directionto level all the grate fingers in a common horizontal plane under the weight of a cooking vessel placed on the grate comprises a floating ring I 0 positioned underneath the annular supporting'ring 4 and rigidlysecured to thebottomsurface of each depending-projection 9.--The*floating ring- 111a? be secured to projections 9 in any suitable manner, such as by welding or riveting. The welding of floating ring In to each projection 9 has the effect of ganging all the grate fingers into a unit and eliminates any possibility of relative slipping movement between floating ring I and any grate finger 8. This unity insures proper equalizing movement 'by'all-other grate fingers whenever any onegrate finger is moved vertically.

Floating ring I0 is also connected to annular supporting ring 4 by means of a plurality of individual springs II. Although the number of springs II may be varied, it is preferred to provide a spring II for each grate finger 8. Each spring I I is positioned between two adjacent grate fingers. Each spring I I has a bowed central portion I2 and an aperture I3 extending through the bowed portion. A rivet -I4 'driven through each aperture l3 holds bowed portion I2of-each spring II tightly against the underside of annular supporting ring 4.

Both ends of spring I! are notched, as indicated at I5, and each notch fits under the head of a rivet I6. Rivets I6 are secured to floating ring II] with their heads spaced above the top surface of thefioating ring a distance suflicient to allow the ends of spring II to fit thereunder and to slide relative thereto as floating ring II! is moved vertically. Springs I l have a tendency to pull floating ring I!) upwardly towards annular'supporting ring 4, whenever floating ring ID is forced downwardly out of its normal position.

Pressure on any one grate finger 8 will move floating ring Ill downwardly to increase the distance between floating ring I0 and annular supporting ring 4 inthat area. Equalizing force exerted by the other springs I I will force the other grate fingers 8 upwardly until all the grate fingers are held in contact with the bottom of the cooking vessel substantially in a common horizontal plane. Notches I5 fitting under rivets I6 permit circumferential movement of each spring I I relative to floating ring I0 whenever'downward movement of one portion of floating ring ID increases the amount of thebow in the adjacent spring II, or upward movement of the floating ringflattens spring I I.

In'the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, the spring I1 is secured tightly be understood that the description is intended to be illustrative, rather than restrictive, as many details may be modified or changed without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Accordingly, I do not desire to berestricted to the exact structure described.

I claim:

1. A top burner grate for cooking stoves comprising an annular supporting ring having a plurality of non-circular apertures therein, a plurality of grate fingers, each of said grate fingers 7 having a projection depending through one of said apertures, a floating ring rigidly secured to the bottomsuriace of each of said projections, .anda plurality of individual springs secured between saidi-annular supporting ring and said 4. floating ring, said springs urging said floating ring to an equalizing position holding all of said grate fingers in a common horizontal plane under the weight of a cooking Vessel placed on said grate.

2. A top burner grate for cooking stoves comprising an annular supporting ring having a plurality of non-circular apertures therein, a plurality of grate fingers, each of said grate fingers having a projection depending through one of said apertures, a floating ring rigidly secured to the bottom surface of each of said projections, a plurality of individual springs each rigidly secured at its center'portion to the underside of said annular supporting ring, and a plurality of pairs of button head rivets projecting upwardly from said floating ring, the ends of each of said springs being slidably held under said button head rivets, said springs urging said floating ring to an equalizing position holding all of said grate fingers in a common horizontal plane under the weight of a cooking vessel placed on said grate.

3. A top burner grate for cooking stoves comprising an annular supporting ring having a plurality of non-circular apertures therein, a plurality of grate fingers, each of said grate fingers having a projection depending through one of said apertures, a floating ring rigidly securedto the bottom surface of each of said projections, and a plurality of individual springs each rigidly secured at one end to said floating ring, the center portion of each of said springs being loosely held against the underside of said annular supporting ring, said springs urging said floating ring to an equalizing position holding all of said grate fingers in a common horizontal plane under the weight of a cooking vessel placed on said grate.

4. A top'burner grate for cooking stoves comprising an annular supporting ring, a plurality of grate fingers carried by said supporting ring, each of said grate fingers having a projection depending below said supporting ring, a floating ring engaging the bottom surfaces of said projections, a plurality of individual springs positioned between said supporting ring and said floating ring, each of said springs having a bowed center portion and notched endportions, and a pair of button head rivets projecting upwardly from said'fioating ring adjacent each of said springs, each of said springshaving its bowed center portion'rigidly secured to the underside of said supporting ring, the notched ends of each spring being slidably held under said button head rivets.

5. A top burner grate for cooking stoves comprising an annular supporting ring, aplurality of grate fingers carried by said supporting ring, each of said grate fingers having a projectiondepending below said supporting ring, a'floating ring engaging the bottom surfaces of said projections, a plurality of individual springs positioned between said supporting ring and said floating ring, each of said springs having a bowed center portion provided with an elongated aperture, and a but ton head rivet'passing through said aperture to loosely secure each spring to said supporting ring, one end of each spring being rigidly secured to said floating ring.

6. A top burner grate for cooking stoves comprising an annular supporting ring, a plurality of grate fingers carried by said supporting ring, a floating ring engaging each of said grate fingers, and spring means spaced intermediately between each pair of said fingers, said means exertingconstant force to maintain said supporting ring and 8 6 said floating ring in predetermined relationship UNIT to hold each of said fingers in a common hori- ED STATES PATENTS zontal plane under the weight of a cooking vessel Number Name Date placed on said grate 540,373 Werle June 1895 5 950,119 Ruby Feb. 22, 1910 WILLIS E. WILLIAMS. 1,235,327 Mace Aug. 7, 1917 2,234,550 Bridgeman Mar. 11, 1941 REFERENCES CITED FOREIGN PATENTS The following references are of record in the Number Country Date file of this patent 363,507 Germany Nov. 10, 1922 

